Today I went for a stroll with my 28mm f2.8 Nikkor replacing the standard 18-55 zoom that usually accompanies my faithful D40.
Here are two results (below). First up, ul. Trombity on a dour December afternoon. A bit of 'fill light' in Photoshop Lightroom, and some desaturation on the red roof in the middle of the frame.
Below: W-wa Dawidy station, again some desaturation of the image for a more realistic feel. Less ghosting, less distortion than on Nikon's zoom lenses.
Taking pics in manual mode is no problem; you set camera to 'M' for manual, dial in the appropriate shutter speed, and set the aperture on the lens ring. And being a digital camera, you can see the results instantly; should the image be over- or under-exposed - adjust accordingly and shoot another frame.Nikon's DX format sensors cover an area about two-thirds of a 35mm film frame. This means that when used on DX cameras, Nikon lenses made for 35mm cameras give a narrower field of view than originally intended.
My 28mm lens, when used on the DX, gives a field of view equivalent to a 42mm lens on a 35mm camera. So no longer is it a wide-angle lens, rather something slightly wider than standard. Fully glass and metal, it feels like a professional piece of kit.
After spending an afternoon with it and taking a close look at the results, I can see little point in using it day to day. The kit lens that Nikon offer on their entry-level DSLRs, the 18-55mm f3.5-f5.6 zoom is a great everyday workhorse, light, and with vibration reduction, you can hand-hold at longer exposures than the old lens. Still, it's fun to play around with old Nikkor lenses and know you can still use them on today's Nikons.
Above: my D40 fitted with 28mm f2.8 Nikkor. Looks better than with the plasticky zoom - and yet that standard Nikon zoom lens is a quality optic, is lighter and only half a stop slower when set to wide. The VR version of the 18-55mm zoom is even better for when the light gets low.This time last year:
What's the Polish for 'pattern'?
This time four years ago:
"Rorate caeli de super nubes pluant justum..."
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4 comments:
Hi,
I don't see a sense to use full size cameras for amateur photos.
You have quite wide range compact cameras with fantastic lenses (and big) and also with big sensor, same as in mirror cameras.
And you can keep it in pocket
A bit of 'fill light' in Photoshop Lightroom...
I recently discovered Lightroom and it has rapidly become my photo 'tweaker' of choice. A powerful programme with a very intuitive interface,
@Jazgdyni
The D40 (and its successors, the D40x, D60, D3000 and D3100) are lightweight SLRs; with kit lens they weigh 685g. I've often thought to myself "Sh*t! Where's my camera!" to find it hanging around my neck.
The KEY feature about this and indeed any SLR is the fact that pics can be taken INSTANTLY. Just bring it up to your eye and fire the shutter. "Keep in in your pocket?" You've just missed the shot. Around your neck, no case, just a UV filter for protection.
The only camera (other than a new D3100 with 18-55 VR lens) I'd consider is the Fujifilm X100 - the Leica concept taken into the digital age.
One of the best photos I've made was on a backpack walk through Pogórze Przemyskie, just before first year of my architectural studies, in 1987, with b&w film, Zenit 12XP, Russian full manual SLR. The lens was, if I remember well, 45mm or similar. I had to think about sharpness, shutter, f-stop, depth of field - all at once.
Modern auto-this-or-auto-that-or-auto-everything cameras lack this. I find it very attactive to go with my 45mm manual
http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikkor-aps-c-lens-tests/215-nikkor-ai-p-45mm-f28-review--lab-test-report
and d200 and just hunt for photos.
Just one more thout about shooting hundreds of pics - long time ago I wanted to learn how to photograph architecture. An old, experienced photographer told me, buy a Saturday issue of "Życie Warszawy", find a short story of "spacerkiem po Warszawie" (if I remember well, I may miss something, there was a series of short articles about single houses, with a hand sketch of each), go and take ONE good photo of this house.
It was quite difficult to do it in few shots. With 4GB card it is even more difficult.
Best regards,
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